I represent the first generation who, when we were born, the television was now a permanent fixture in our homes. When I was born people had breakfast with Barbara Walters, dinner with Walter Cronkite, and slept with Johnny Carson.
Read the full "Pre-ramble"

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Show No. 170 with guest Jim BensonOriginal Airdate: Week of Jan. 23-29, 2013First hour: Phil Gries joins Ed for a special edition of The Sounds of Lost Television honoring John Zacherley,
the popular New York TV personality known as The Cool Ghoul. At a time
when horror movies were a staple of local late-night television,
Zacherley set himself apart from other hosts with an array of zany
antics that were usually far more entertaining than the movies he
introduced. Second hour: Ed welcomes Jim Benson, host of TV Time Machine and the co-author of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: An After-Hours Tour, a comprehensive look at the other classic TV anthology created by the man who gave us The Twilight Zone. Though not always held in the same esteem as Twilight Zone, Night Gallery
featured some of the best writing that Serling ever did in his long,
illustrious television career. And yet numerous problems behind the
scenes — including an ongoing battle between NBC, producer Jack Laird
and Rod Serling himself over the direction of the show — ultimately left
Night Gallery with a spotty reputation from which it is just now recovering. Jim was also a consultant on two of the three Night Gallery DVD packages released by Universal Home Entertainment — including Season Three of Night Gallery, the story of which is almost as compelling as the history of Night Gallery itself.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Joseph Dougherty, producer/comedian Dan Farren and pop culture author Wesley Hyatt will join us on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, airing Jan. 30-Feb. 5 at the following times and venues:

This week’s program will include a tribute to the life and career of Ernie Kovacs, the legendary comedian whose influence on television is still evident today, particularly on late night shows such as Saturday Night Live and The Late Show with David Letterman. At a time when most network executives still considered television to be nothing more than “radio with pictures,” Ernie Kovacs was among the first — if not the first — to really understand the visual possibilities of the medium.

CHILD OF TELEVISION @ iTunes

Pre-ramble

I represent the first generation whom, when we were born, the television was now a permanent fixture in our homes. When I was born people had breakfast with Barbara Walters, dinner with Walter Cronkite, and slept with Johnny Carson.
Read the full "Pre-ramble"